Parallel Minds
by idioglossia
Summary: Deep in the night surrounding Hueco Mundo, one particular Hollow is forced to accept the offer which will change his life... his afterlife forever. Focuses mostly on Tesla's and Nnoitra's wicked relationship.
1. Prologue

**PARALLEL MINDS**

_a Bleach fanfiction by idioglossia_

_Disclaimer: nothing in this fic (except for my wild theory on the Hollows' physiology and a few musings on nature of love stories) belongs to me. Obviously._

_Pairing: none yet. _

_A/N:__ It's my first fic since... ages. I'd love to hear your opinions, suggestions and Obligatory Constructive Criticism.  
_

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**PROLOGUE: A night in the desert**

Every love story eventually leads to the proverbial more-or-less candlelight dinner, during which the protagonists drink a fair amount of expensive alcoholic beverages, blush a lot and have such a heartbreaking conversation about their feelings that it makes every person who understands the basic rules of grammar stare in disbelief and haul curses at the author.

Only a few stories begin with the aforementioned meal, though. And hardly ever it's one of the potential lovers that serves as a delicious main course.

The giant, boar-like Hollow of the Gillian class had no time to contemplate such trivial matters. He was well aware of the fact that someone was going to be eaten tonight – and, most likely, it was he. Nevertheless, he wasn't going to surrender to this undoubtedly tragic fate. Yes, he could've fought the opponent and meet his destiny with pride, but the escape seemed to be a much better option. At least it gave him a faint chance of surviving – so without further consideration he started to run through the romantic, moonlit desert of Hueco Mundo, his mind set on reaching the nearest place suitable for hiding. Not that he was completely delusional – the boar knew that the hostile Hollow would pursue him until death – either the prey's or the predator's. And the first one was so much likely to come!

The opponent must've been an Adjuchas – it was fairly small and thin, but its form still wasn't completely humanoid. The boar didn't quite catch to which exact animal it might have been similar to. Probably something very unpleasant, since the creature amused itself by addressing him as "Meal-san", however horrid it sounded.

"Be a good dish and stop running away." The hiss was suspiciously loud. Damn, the oppressor must've caught up with him. The boar instinctively started to run faster. Despite his huge weight and the bulkiness of his body, he was able to move at a pretty high speed when he was running on the four legs, at least when hunted by a hungry, most likely horrifyingly powerful Adjuchas.

Yes, such situations unleashed unimaginable amounts of physical strength and energy.

The pursuer made a short, harsh and unbelievably loud noise, something between a slurp and a snort. "_How the hell is it even possible?_"

"Why won't ye give up already? If you do, I might even decide to kill you fast." Another horrid sound. "_Define fast._" thought the chased Hollow, but didn't say his thoughts aloud. It would have been a sui... it would have been very unwise, to anger the enemy more – if it was even possible, to begin with. Judging from the tone of the predator's last words, it wasn't. The boar gulped. He had already lost his dignity, now he also gave up the will to escape.

And then, out of the blue, the possibility of a salvation appeared.

If it were a part of human world, Hueco Mundo would've probably become well-known and well-respected for its architectural variety – or rather the lack of it. Apart from the monumental building of unknown purpose – which was situated pretty close to our hero's current location – there were a few ruins scattered all over the place. It was rather unlikely that these crushed stumps of quartz columns were once a part of some kind of the building. They were just ruins, the very definition of the word "ruins" – they were never anything else.

Though for a certain, particularly stressed creature, they have just become a last chance to survive. He started to run towards them at his full speed; the Hollow equivalent of adrenaline pumping through his Hollow equivalents of vessels. From behind, the Adjuchas sneered very loudly:

"And y'think ye will hide there and I'll obediently turn away and look for another dinner as soon as ye reach these, eh?" he laughed "I ain't an idiot, Meal-san." he added, though the boar didn't assume it even for a briefest second. He was too busy running away, and the potential salvation was nearer and nearer, just a bunch of shattered buildings, but if by any chance he got there soon...

With a few long jumps he reached the promising refuge. It was – or at least it looked as if it was – a remnant of a small, peaceful village. A few white, windowless buildings with cracked walls surrounded the central square, which, in contrary to its name, had a vaguely circular shape. The Gillian ducked beneath one of the jagged layers of quartz bricks, made sure his form wasn't visible from the square – which, concerning his size, wasn't the easiest thing to do – and started to creep towards the nearest house which looked as if it might have a nice, dark cellar just perfect to curl up in it and wait in silence. Truly, it might've been not the most sophisticated plan to be ever created, but coming up with something more complicated in such a situation was practically impossible.

"Ye are more stupid than I thought, Meal-san." the Adjuchas said almost sympathetically. It was probably standing right in the middle of the square, carefully probing the horizon with his eyes in search of the humongous Hollow which – as unreal as it sounded – literally seemed to have vanished behind cracked walls of the desert ruins "I still can hear ya." the boar held his breath "I can smell ya." The Gillian started to seriously regret his "little trip" to the surface. There was a moment of silence and after that short pause the pursuer continued in a very, _very_ unpleasantly sounding voice "I can feel your presence, Meal-san." The boar felt an overwhelming need to look up.

The sky looked as usual – it was black, stained with a few white clouds. The crescent moon was nowhere in his sight. The Hollow suddenly became nervous. He slowly turned around, expecting to see his pursuer right behind him, snickering wickedly and ready to deliver a fatal strike.

The first thing he saw was the moon.

Apart from that, his forecast actually proved to be pretty accurate, mostly due to the fact that he saw the moon through the enormous hole in the Adjuchas' skull. This disturbing part of its anatomy was surrounded by a rather fancy mask decorated with the pair of long horns and a horrifying amount of jaws. And every single one of them was stretched in a wide, _explicitly_ toothy smile. It must have been the most frightening sight in the whole Universe – or at least one of the top ten.

The enemy Hollow was sitting on the broken stump of the column. The Gillian had now a unique opportunity to observe it more closely. The Adjuchas was – as he had previously noticed – exceptionally lanky, but he hadn't paid any attention to such interesting details as the previously mentioned mask or the fact that the opponent had four arms. "_So much for the animal resemblance._" Besides, it somehow managed to _look_ merciless, which wasn't the best prevision for the future.

"Hello, Meal-san," said the enemy Hollow in an almost friendly voice. _Almost_. "looks like I've finally found ya." The boar tried to back away, but it came out as futile, thanks to the strategically placed wall.

"Y' afraid." noted the Adjuchas, though the statement was pretty obvious. As obvious as the fact that someone was going to be eaten in that particular village, exactly in this moment, in the eternal night that surrounded Hueco Mundo "Pathetic." it continued, licking its awkward mask with a disturbingly long tongue "Do ya even deserve to be eaten by me?" With the measly remnants of his willpower the Gillian restrained himself from nodding vigorously. After a moment's silence the Adjuchas continued his soliloquy "Chasing ya today was pretty entertaining, though. If ya weren't such a coward, might've let ya live."

The cornered prey raised its head and looked at the dark sky of Hueco Mundo. The boar closed its eyes, expecting the end, getting prepared for the pain...

"Beg for it." The Gillian opened his eyes, visibly shocked "Tell me why the hell I should spare ya. Give me a good reason to let ya live." The Adjuchas said it in a surprisingly serious voice, as it even might have been considering letting go of his prey.

The offer was followed by a long period of silence. The lanky Hollow was slowly getting impatient, and finally broke the silence "So? What d'ya say? What would ya do if I set ya free?" The boar swallowed a bile in his throat "I'll follow you." he answered as calmly as he could. The Adjuchas remained silent for a moment, but then snapped.

"WHAT?" "_As expected._" thought the Gillian and continued in a very steady tone "I'll become your servant..." he began, but the other Hollow violently interrupted

"How d'ya see that? I ain't dragging any cowardly Gillians behind my back, unless as an emergency food supplies." he sneered "Wanna be my food supply, Gillian?" The four-armed creature was probably smiling behind its mask – and the sole realization of that fact made the boar shiver. That reckless answer might've cost him his life – or, more accurately, his _afterlife_. This Adjuchas was probably the most powerful creature he had ever met, and now he was at its mercy, waiting for its decision.

The creature's words seemed to flow from another dimension "Alright, Gillian, I'm in the good mood today." it paused and licked its mask impatiently "From this day on ya serve Nnoitra Jiruga, the most powerful Menos in Hueco Mundo. If ya fuck something up or disobey me, you are my next meal, understood?" The boar nodded in agreement. "Fine. Yer name, Gillian?"

"T... Tesla." replied the newest acquisition of Nnoitra Jiruga

"T-Tesla, _sir_." mocked the Adjuchas, clearly trying to imitate Tesla's nervous stuttering

"... yes, sir."

Nnoitra raised his head, looked at the horizon and for a moment he seemed as he was lost in thoughts. It looked rather romantic, despite the fact that the Adjuchas had a bit disturbing physiognomy. "Come then, emergency food supply, we're leaving."

Tesla didn't find courage to ask his master where they were heading; instead he just followed Nnoitra – or rather _Nnoitra-sama_, as he mentally corrected himself – into the Hollow equivalent of night.


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: Huh._

* * *

**CHAPTER 1: Travelers of the Otherworld**

As Tesla learned pretty soon, they weren't heading in any particular direction.

The rush of adrenaline disappeared as soon as the direct danger ended, so the Gillian found himself suddenly unable to keep up with Nnoitra's incredibly fast pace. He tried to run as fast as he could; still he barely managed to follow the Adjuchas. A plead for the rest was not a considerable option – it would've meant most likely a long and painful death. Besides, the four-armed Hollow was probably keeping him alive only for nutritional purposes; it was reflected in the nicknames Nnoitra bestowed upon him; among them "Meal-san" or affectionate "My-Dearest-Food-Supply".

Saying that the Adjuchas had no sense of humor was an injustice towards him. The main problem with it was that not everyone was able to appreciate the depths of its artistry – especially when that "everyone" was dangerously close to becoming a healthy food ration.

And when Tesla started to think that asking for a stop was actually a damn good idea, Nnoitra suddenly froze. The Gillian muttered a short (yet very thankful) prayer to every higher force of the Universe and crept a bit closer.

The Adjuchas was standing at the edge of the broad rift valley; his expression concentrated. He was carefully observing _something_ – Tesla couldn't neither see nor sense, what it might have been.

"What's the matter, sir?" he asked, but Nnoitra silenced him with a disapproving glance and pointed at something down in the valley. And at last Tesla could see it; a tiny, moving shape far away from the observational point of the two Hollows. He remained silent, trying to figure out, to which class of the Hueco Mundo's residents it may have belonged.

"A regular Hollow. Not even a mere Gillian." said the Adjuchas quietly; fixing his gaze at the object "What the hell is it doing on the surface, eh? It must have a death wish." He chuckled – and the Gillian felt his Hollow equivalent of intestines turn upside down – and continued in an amused voice "So I shall grant his wish, Meal-san, shan't I?" he looked at Tesla. The servant quickly nodded, deciding to remain silent.

Nnoitra chuckled again, even more terrifyingly than before. "I'm glad that ya agree with me, Gillian. Now go and get it for me. Make it quick." Tesla blinked in disbelief. He was supposed to...

"What's the matter, Meal-san?" mocked the Adjuchas "Are ya deaf or d'ya need an invitation? Fetch me that Hollow. I ain't fighting such weaklings like this one. Go." He waved his hand at Tesla dismissively. The Gillian shrugged; yet he nonetheless started to climb down the steep canyon wall. Due to his size it came out as almost impossible to do; however Tesla's fear of becoming Nnoitra's dinner was strong enough to defy the laws of physics. He slid down carefully, sighed, once more regretted his decision to leave the fairly safe refuge beneath the surface and started to run towards an enemy Hollow.

The creature wasn't heading directly in his direction; he had to change his course a bit to the left. The Gillian could almost feel Nnoitra's gaze on his back and hear his wicked laughter; the mere thought made him speed up. Surprisingly, the Hollow wasn't aware of the approaching danger, although the "danger" was probably two times bigger and heavier than it and was running towards it with the grace...

... well, with the grace of the attacking giant boar.

Tesla smashed into it at his full speed. The creature was pretty small so the impact _literally_ blew it away. "_First success today... er, tonight... today. Oh, damn it._" thought the Gillian, running towards the motionless Hollow. It was short, stocky and, much to his surprise, still alive – that is, as much alive as a spirit of a deceased human being could have been. The Menos slung the unconscious creature over his shoulder and began walking back to his master.

He made less than five steps before he heard a loud "Stop."

Tesla turned around and shuddered in fear. The intruder has appeared out of nowhere. The Gillian was now facing _yet another_ Adjuchas; this one was a bit smaller than Nnoitra (and had only one pair of arms), stood on four hoofed legs and displayed a far more interesting palette of colors – while the four-armed Hollow was a pale creature with a short, black mane of hair, this one was mostly green – it had green fur and angry green eyes, glinting through the slits of its grey mask. Very close behind it tiptoed an other low-class Hollow; it was fairly thin and tall and it looked deeply frightened.

"_Fuck._"

The Adjuchas was carefully observing him. After a moment of silence it spoke in a very calm voice "Put him down." Tesla's eyes widened in terror. He could've left the Hollow here and get killed by Nnoitra or... well, get killed by the stranger. Both perspectives were not particularly alluring. The Gillian braced himself and answered:

"I have hunted it down, so it belongs to me." The announcement was followed by a poor imitation of a nonchalant shrug "If you want your own, why won't you devour the one behind you?" The Adjuchas shook its head

"He is my companion, not my food, if you failed to notice. Same goes for the one you're holding and, let me assure you, I'm not going to leave him to you as your... _loot_." It spoke the last word with distaste; its gaze fixed upon Tesla's head. "_Now that's definitely the end._"

"No." exclaimed yet another voice "That's not _his_. It's mine!" It was Nnoitra, speeding towards them, his horned mask shaking on his head from the incredible velocity. The other Adjuchas blinked, visibly confused.

"Who are you and what _the hell_ do you want from us?" it asked, unable to keep its eyes off the hole in four-armed Hollow's skull. Tesla wasn't surprised; Nnoitra's mask scared the living hell out of him.

"My name is Nnoitra Jiruga and at first I wanted to eat that little Hollow friend of ya," said the Adjuchas; all jaws on his mask stretching in the terrifying smile "but now I have a better idea – we'll fight."

"I have no desire to fight you." the other creature replied "I only wish you'd let go of my friend" it gestured towards the unconscious Hollow which was still being held by Tesla "Release him and we'll peacefully continue on our way..." The response was drowned by Nnoitra's outburst of wild laughter.

"Are ya really that stupid or d'ya pretend?!" the four-armed Hollow seemed amused "Look, let's solve it that way: we'll fight for the pitiful life of this Hollow of ya. If I win, I eat both you and yer... _companions_." he paused, sliding his enormously long tongue through one of the mouths and licking his mask "If, by any chance, ya win, then ya can devour me... and do whatever ya want with this useless slab of meat." he gestured towards the Gillian. The stranger Adjuchas pondered for a moment and then slowly nodded "I guess I have no other choice..." Nnoitra laughed maniacally; he was visibly excited and eager to battle. It seemed that fighting, along with hunting harmlessGillians, was one of his favorite pastime activities. The pale Adjuchas raised his four long-clawed arms and lowered his horned head.

The other higher-class Menos looked as it wasn't happy with the outcome of things. The creature didn't look much like a fighter – yes, its massive horns and heavy hooves were a threat not to have been ignored; yet it possessed none of the Nnoitra's violent eagerness. For it the battle must've been not much more than an unpleasant compulsion.

Nnoitra attacked first, slashing his sharp claws at the other Adjuchas' chest. The creature ducked the blow with astounding ease; the Gillian noticed that Nnoitra's eyes widened in shock; yet his master succeeded to block the counterattack without much effort and fiercely launched another attack at the other Adjuchas. The claws barely missed the opponent. Nnoitra emitted a sharp, frustrated shriek – none of his strokes has reached the target yet and it was a situation he wasn't able to accept.

The longer Tesla was watching the duel, the more it reminded him of some kind of a graceful, violent waltz: a cut – parried; a smash – countered; and again; the blows and counters stretching into an endless dance. Both of them were excellent warriors; similarly experienced and skilled; their fight was truly a marvelous sight to behold. Tesla was watching the two Adjuchas with awe, completely focused on their smooth moves, as enchanted. His pondering was interrupted by the Hollow on his back – it was slowly regaining consciousness, stirring nervously in Gillian's strong grip. Tesla calmed the annoying thing with a properly placed blow to the head and again concentrated on the fight.

Much to his surprise, during those few seconds of his inattention, the fight has taken a turn for worse. One of the green Adjuchas' strokes has reached Nnoitra; his pale body was now adorned with a long, red gash in his chest. The wound didn't look particularly life-threatening; it only angered the four-armed creature and made him attack even more viciously than before. Astoundingly, the other Adjuchas ducked every slash of Nnoitra's long claws with ease and its counters were getting harder to parry – to the point when Nnoitra wasn't able to block them.

A strong blow to the head struck the lanky Adjuchas down; gasping in disbelief, he fell to the ground. The smaller creature was now towering upon him, preventing him from moving and eyeing the fallen form with contempt.

"Looks like I've won, Nnoitra Jiruga." it said mockingly and slowly raised one of its legs to deal a finishing blow. The other Adjuchas tried to roll away from the certain death, but it proved to be futile. "Finish it!" he blurted out in his last effort, readying himself for the end...

... which surprisingly did never come.

Tesla smashed into the green Adjuchas with all his might. He wasn't that concerned for Nnoitra; he just felt that his sense of honour – the matter of its existence wasn't important right now – _wouldn't_ allow abandoning the person he had sworn his allegiance to, willingly or not. Besides, if his master somehow survived (and a small voice in his head kept telling him that it actually was possible), he'd undoubtedly track him down and kill him in a very ingenious and very, _very_ painful way. The attack didn't affect the Adjuchas much, yet it managed to blow the creature away from Nnoitra, who rolled over to his stomach and spat very loudly

"Who the fuck ordered ya to leave yer place?!" the pale Adjuchas shouted furiously, trying to stand up. The other creature was looking at the Gillian; the green slits in its mask glinting with confusion. There was a long moment of silence before the smaller Adjuchas finally stated:

"It's a real shame that when it comes to fighting, you have to depend on such _useless slabs of meat_, Nnoitra Jiruga." There was no mockery in its voice, just seriousness mixed with boredom "Now order this minion of yours to let go of my companion and we shall leave." Tesla had completely forgotten about the Hollow he was holding; he loosened his grip and the creature fell onto the ground. The other low-class Hollow jumped towards it, shouting as if it were no tomorrow – which technically was a fact.

"Dondochakka! Dondochakka! Y'OK?" The previously unconscious creature suddenly jumped up and greeted its friend with a warm, literally breathtaking hug "Pesche! You don't even know how scared I was when this ugly beast took me hostage! I was sure that it would devour me!" it exclaimed, glancing up at Tesla with distrust. The giant boar just shrugged.

The winner exchanged one more look with the loser. "This time I'll spare you," it said, putting an emphasis on word _spare_ "but don't expect mercy the next time we meet." It turned away and began to walk away, the two Hollows obediently creeping beside it.

Nnoitra, still lying prostrate on the ground, raised his horned head and shouted to the receding Adjuchas "Wait! At least tell me yer name, so I'll know whom to look for!" The creature stopped and looked at the battered figure

"Neliel. Neliel Tu Oderschvank." it replied after a moment of pondering; then it turned away and resumed walking, not turning back even once. Tesla and Nnoitra were observing it until its silhouette faded in the darkness; and they didn't move for a long time after its departure. Finally the Adjuchas broke the silence

"Ya got a promotion, Gillian, happy there?" he spat the words out with badly concealed anger. Tesla blinked, obviously not understanding

"... sir?"

"Ya have been promoted from the Emergency Food Supply to the Fucking Annoying Hollow Missile. Ya can celebrate it by, for example, committing suicide. Now I beg yer forgiveness for not shaking yer hand." sneered Nnoitra, glaring at his servant with utter annoyance.

Tesla decided that the best reply would be no reply at all.


	3. Chapter 2

_A/N: It came out as much shorter than I thought..._

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**CHAPTER 2: ****Sub terra, sub caelo**

Their first life-threatening conflict was, ironically, caused by nothing else but food.

Once again Nnoitra tried to make Tesla fetch him a lesser Hollow; this time he had fortunately chosen one without a ridiculously powerful, overprotective Adjuchas behind it. The Gillian obediently followed his master's orders, yet when Nnoitra began devouring the defenseless creature, he sat beside him, hoping to get al least a small part of the Hollow as a reward.

The Adjuchas paid no attention to him, busy with spilling the poor creature's guts. In its own wicked way, it was an interesting sight. Tesla was looking at the scattered intestines with a vague curiosity, marveling at the complexity of Hollows' innards.

"_Hell, I didn't even know we have something like that... inside._"

Nnoitra didn't seem to be interested by the matters of Hueco Mundo's biology. He was completely occupied with the presence of something to eat – even if the probably much tastier nearby Gillian was alive and well... and courageous enough to impertinently chew on a – rather disgusting – piece of something which might have been a liver. It was a bit too much for the Adjuchas to bear.

Tesla didn't see the move; he wasn't even aware of the fact that Nnoitra was able to move that fast. In one second he held the _inner part_ of the Hollow in his hand, trying to peacefully consume his _trophy_. In the next one the trophy was gone and the only thing he had in a hand was a sharp pain. The furious Adjuchas was standing a few meters from him, holding a thing in which Tesla recognized the piece of gut he was previously eating.

"Shall I wish ya _bon appétit_, Gillian?" he sneered viciously, sticking out his long tongue through one of the jaws on his mask. Tesla shuddered and stammered out an apology, recklessly excusing himself of his actions by saying something along the lines of "I thought you weren't interested in this part, sir."

Nnoitra let out a low hiss "Listen carefully, Gillian." he said. Frightened Tesla lowered his head, trying not to look Adjuchas in the eye "When I claim something, it becomes mine. I can do whatever I want with every part of its body, soul or such things, understood?" The boar nodded, unable to utter a word. "Same goes for ya, Meal-san." Nnoitra continued almost sympathetically "Every fucking part of ya belongs to me and I can do _everything_ with it. I can eat ya, make earrings out of yer bones or rape ya, whatever I feel like at the moment." After a short pause he added quietly "_Hypothetically_. Not that I would want to do this last thing to ya."

Tesla was staring at him speechless, pondering which of the possibilities Nnoitra mentioned was the worst one. The perspective of being eaten suddenly began to seem somewhat tempting.

* * *

There were a few possible methods of entering the underworld of Hueco Mundo and Nnoitra has obviously chosen the hardest of them.

The passageways between the surface and the place that lied beneath it were not numerous; still they were fairly easy to find and thus were the easiest and most frequently – though saying "frequently" is a serious overstatement – used ways to move between two parts of Hueco Mundo. The other option was tearing a _spiritual_ opening from one place to another – it required some skill to manipulate the reiatsu, but most Gillian-class Menos were perfectly able to do this.

The least favored method of opening the way to the underworld was manually creating the pathway. And for some unknown reason, the Adjuchas decided that it would be the only suitable way for him... but only when carefully prepared by someone else.

During his struggle with Hueco Mundo's sands, Tesla was glancing at Nnoitra from time to time. The more he glanced, the more he was convinced that the Adjuchas was just exploiting his Hollow resources.

* * *

The other source of quarrels between the two Hollows was the rests.

Nnoitra wanted to travel almost all the time, without any breaks – with the humble exception of meals, of course. This was hardly a break for Tesla, though – usually the Adjuchas ordered him to catch a Hollow he had previously spotted, the Gillian did as he was told and then watched the heartwarming scene starring Nnoitra, the still alive Hollow and lots of blood. Sometimes, when his four-armed superior was in a particularly good mood, he was allowed to grab a Hollow for himself too. These were rare occurrences, though and Tesla was sure that – at current pace – it would've taken him more than a thousand years to even have a possibility of becoming an Adjuchas (he had actually made the full calculation during one of the longer rests, but he forgot the exact number).

Tesla, on the other hand, found himself in need for a break quite often. He was sure that he would never adjust himself to Nnoitra's extreme speed, and... hell, even though the Hollows didn't have to eat or sleep, they could've felt exhausted. Sometimes the Adjuchas dictated such pace that Tesla had no other choice but to sit down for a moment and pray Nnoitra wouldn't notice.

And he occasionally noticed.

"Now would ya _kindly_ move yer fat ass and follow me like every good little Gillian slave has to?"

Tesla sighed. The next hours were going to be quite restless – in every possible meaning of this word.


	4. Chapter 3

_A/N: Really, writing fanfiction on the beach is the worst idea I've had in ages._

_M__any, many thanks to the patient readers of the story. I'm one hell of a lazy writer._

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**CHAPTER 3: To the mist**

"I've heard that the Vasto Lorde class Menos suddenly started to disappear" out of nowhere announced Tesla one night. The news was merely the gossip; a piece of information the Gillian heard during one of his solitary trips to the white forest beneath the Hueco Mundo's surface. From time to time Nnoitra sent his servant there to fetch... "_something special_". "Something special" usually equaled "something remarkably tasty, I'd like to suggest an other Gillian, if you aren't back in three hours I will drag you here and feed you with your own intestines, GO NOW", so Tesla didn't quite like his only chances to be on his own for some time. To be honest, the boar deemed such expeditions almost suicidal and the fact that he managed to survive them was truly a thing to marvel upon.

At the very beginning, Nnoitra wasn't peculiarly interested at the news

"What d'ya want me to do? Find them, pat them on their heads and tell that I will safely guard them to mommy?" sneered the Adjuchas just after finishing hitting his servant repeatedly on the head (Tesla was pretty sure that torturing him has became Nnoitra's new favorite pastime). The boar sighed, massaged the sore spot and continued sourly

"They were gathering in one place for a long period of time" the Gillian lowered his head and looked the Adjuchas in the eye. Or at least tried to – and failed. The solitary purple slit was still one of the scariest sights he had ever had the doubtful pleasure to see. "Recently there have been rumors of their sudden disappearance. No one knows what could've happened to them and where could they currently reside." he finished, looking at Nnoitra, the uncertainty almost glowing in his eyes.

"Why do ya think I should be concerned with it?" the Adjuchas replied in his trademark "I-probably-couldn't-care-less" tone. The Gillian predicted his master's lack of interest, though, and after a moment's silence he smugly added "I've also heard that some of the most powerful Adjuchas also begin to gather at the same spot, most likely to meet the same fate". Tesla's own "most powerful Adjuchas" actually showed a tiniest bit of interest at the mention of his class' name but a few seconds later he went back to staring at the moon and completely ignoring not only the whole world but also all the existent universes.

Tesla gulped. He had one argument – and probably the crucial one – more, though speaking it out in Nnoitra's presence might've ended tragically for him, a large number of innocent Hollows and a fairly vast part of the desert. The Adjuchas seemed to be in a rather good mood at the moment, so the Gillian prayed to every higher being for not infuriating his master with the short sentence he was about to utter.

"There have been also rumors that the Adjuchas called _Tu Oderschvank_ was one of the first ones to come there" he said and held his breath.

The sole mention of his rival's name must've stricken a very delicate string in Nnoitra – his hunger for vengeance. The Adjuchas was yearning for the "rematch" – as he personally called it. "Revenge" would've been a much better word. Kind of... more accurate. It made it easier to visualize the things Nnoitra planned to inflict upon his worst enemy. Yet he said only a single word:

"Where?"

The Adjuchas visibly forced himself to look calm and collected, yet it was very easy to sense his inner excitement. His violet eye was now looking at Tesla with vivid interest; two of his four hands were slightly trembling. The boar didn't answer immediately; instead he waited for a moment before speaking in a loud, suspiciously steady tone

"I'm not quite sure." Nnoitra lowered his head. The horns of his mask were now pointing at Gillian's throat "Yet there is only one place of Hueco Mundo that could serve as a meeting point for such a vast amount of Menos'." he paused. The Adjuchas started to laugh heartily and added "It's this large white building, isn't it, Gillian?" Tesla nodded and stated that as soon as they got close to it Nnoitra would undoubtedly be able to sense the spiritual pressure emitted by the gathered Hollows.

The Adjuchas didn't say a word; he only gave his servant a one sharp look and then set off, as fast as he could, towards the mysterious object.

* * *

Tesla had his own reasons for telling Nnoitra about that strange phenomenon and the concern for his master was the least important of them all. The prime was – obviously – the sheer curiosity. The Gillian had no idea what might've forced the Vasto Lordes out of their solitary desert dwellings and led them to the monumental quartz palace. One was sure – it must've been an object of incredible power. And if Nnoitra valued anything more than a tasty meal... it was undoubtedly power.

So if both the servant's curiosity and the master's desire were going to be satiated...

Tesla really didn't mind.

* * *

They were moving in the direction of the buildings at an extremely fast pace, leaving behind long trails in sand and huge clouds of dust. Tesla marveled at the fact that they've strayed so much from the Hueco Mundo's most representative place since... since their meeting, he supposed. Time was a rather _relative_ thing in the darkened dimension – minutes stretched to hours; the hours to days; the days yielded to the eternal night; the flow of it was almost impossible to observe. For instance, the Gillian couldn't tell for how long he had stayed in the service of Nnoitra ever since; still the presence of the Adjuchas had become something perfectly natural for him, as if the neurotic four-armed Hollow had always been near, torturing him and constantly sneering at Tesla's every action.

He has also observed that he got used to Nnoitra's usual abnormal velocity – and it was another thing to be really proud of.

* * *

It was the Adjuchas who has made a decision to stop. Tesla knew what the meaning of that action was – Nnoitra felt the inner need to immediately devour an innocent Hollow.

"It's time for a rest, Gillian." The boar sighed. He and his companion had two very different definitions of the word "rest". Nnoitra pointed in the direction of a small, static point. "You know what to do." he added in an almost warm voice.

If Tesla didn't know the Adjuchas as good as he did, he probably would've believed in the fake politeness he had just displayed. Throughout their short – yet stormy – relationship he was beaten, accursed and mistreated too many times to believe this subtle change in the other's behavior, so without a single word he turned his head towards the prey.

The creature was rather small and looked quite harmless – well, as harmless as the Hollow could've looked. Unless it had a crazy Adjuchas by its side, fetching it looked like an easy task. He started to run; the prey must've detected a faint trace of his reiatsu, because it was now swinging its head anxiously, trying to localize the danger. It had not ran away, though – and even hadn't tried to escape when the boar smashed into its side at his full speed, crushing its bones, literally sending the limp body flying. It fell down a few meters away; quiet and lifeless. There was something indefinably sad about this sight – and the fact that the Hollow hadn't fought for its life. Tesla felt a sting of guilt in his... soul. At least in one of them.

The Gillian shrug off the sentimental bullshit, grabbed Nnoitra's future dinner and returned to his master.

* * *

The disturbing sounds of slurping and chewing filled the – already reiatsu-filled – air. When it came to eating etiquette, Nnoitra would make every _savoir vivre_ expert writhe in pain on the floor. Tesla somehow managed to cope with it; still, the loudest _tones_ were creepy enough to distract him from his thinking. None of the sounds was as distracting as the innocent question.

"D'ya want a bite, Gillian?"

Tesla had to slap himself to make sure he was not dreaming, pondering or lurking in a parallel universe. It was clearly one of the things Nnoitra would never, NEVER say... and he had just heard his master speaking it. "_The world is ending._"

The Adjuchas glanced at his servant with impatience "Ya want it or ya don't. Simple. Yes or no?"

The Gillian initially thought that it was another kind of a wicked test; accepting the offer might've led to... well, a _deserved_ punishment. On the other hand, though, refusing could've angered Nnoitra _even more_. "_Damn, damn, damn._". He decided not to answer, instead he just asked "... why?"

The Adjuchas giggled (Tesla found the giggles much scarier and more disturbing than any of the aforementioned slurps) and stated "Ya did pretty well today, Gillian. Besides," he giggled again. The boar shivered. "I'm in a good mood today." The Holy Grail of Nnoitra's reasons has just arrived, hands down. The amount of things depending on the one-eyed Hollow's humor was suspiciously high and Tesla was sure that the existence of world was one of them – at least in the Adjuchas' twisted mind.

"Ya want it or ya don't?" repeated Nnoitra, and the Gillian thought that taking _just a sample_ wouldn't hurt at all.

* * *

They were considerably closer to the quartz building now. The Adjuchas was speeding at his highest pace and his servant followed him obediently. Now Tesla could've seen the palace clearly – it was bigger than he remembered it, plain and completely white, adorned with nothing more but a few tall, needle-like towers. And it was stunning.

The Gillian felt a sudden movement of reiatsu... no, there were many of them. The spiritual pressure rose rapidly; it forced the air out of his lungs, it made the blood circle faster through his vessels. Anatomically correct or not; it was a bewitching experience. The ordinary run has become an amazing flight.

He heard Nnoitra's wild laughter and – for the first time since their meeting – actually perceived it as laughter; an echoing sound full of sheer, unbound happiness. The Adjuchas was challenging the whole world and the world was surrendering in fear.

The building was closer and closer; it seemed to grow with every second. Nnoitra started to run faster, visibly impervious to the influence of growing spiritual pressure. He wanted to reach the palace as fast as he could (Tesla valued his afterlife too much to point out that if they didn't stop for a meal they would've achieved it much faster); his destination – and revenge – was so close now and it must've given him an additional rush of adrenaline and he found even more strength and stamina to multiply his pace and it was so wonderful, this burning velocity and...

... somebody was out there. Both the master and the servant slowed down to take a look at... the most unexpected guest.

A tall, humanoid figure was standing outside the building. At first the Gillian identified it as a human – and what the hell was a human doing in Hueco Mundo? – but then he noticed a helmet-shaped bone on the top of its head. It wasn't a pathetic mortal being; it was something... _more respectable_. Tesla had heard about such creatures – the _Arrancars_ or whatever they were called. An Arrancar was a Hollow that managed to rip the mask off its face, thus gaining the abilities inaccessible for other – even those most powerful – Menos'. This specimen had a long mane of green hair and... well, a clearly feminine body. It... she spoke in a melodic, warm voice:

"You're welcome to the palace of Las Noches, Nnoitra Jiruga."

The Adjuchas suddenly stopped and made a surprised, hissing noise. It was impossible...

"I believe we have already met, but in case you don't remember me, I shall introduce myself once more. My name is Neliel Tu Oderschvank and I currently hold a position of the Third Espada in the service of Lord Aizen." she bowed her head courteously and gestured towards the entrance "Lord Aizen invites you and your... companion to come inside."

Nnoitra, still too shocked to utter a word, cast an unfriendly glance at the green-haired woman and stepped inside. Tesla followed him in silence.


	5. Chapter 4

_A/N: Yes, I know. And I'm fucking sorry._

_Also, the story takes place somewhat before the Pendulum Arc timeline. So, no Hougyoku this time. Nope._

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* * *

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**CHAPTER 4: The Emperor on a path to glory**

Tesla's first impression of Las Noches was pretty simple – the palace was very _white; _so white that simply being inside would bring most mortal beings to the edge of their sanity. The corridor was tall and spacious. The boar raised his head to look at the ceiling. He felt the shivers down his spine – the walls seemed to be endless, stretching towards the black sky of Hueco Mundo as if they wanted to rest in its warm darkness. The vault was invisible, lost in the shadows.

The black and white itself; entwined yet divided by the sharp contrast of darkness and light. No gray, no faintest hint of any color. Everything monochromatic and sterile in its perfection.

Nnoitra wasn't even a bit concerned about the surroundings. He was following Neliel as quiet as he could – and, from what Tesla observed, he was forcibly restricting himself from displaying any signs of excitement. The Adjuchas was swaying as he walked, his head lowered, a few muffled sneers escaping his mouth. He was waiting.

The female Arrancar remained silent. She led them through the labyrinth of corridors without hesitation, as if the topography of this wretched place was the easiest affair ever. The Gillian didn't want to pose any questions; he felt their doubts would eventually be answered.

"_We will know more than we want to know_" he thought with uneasiness. The fact that he replaced "I and Nnoitra" with "we" struck him only seconds later.

Neliel slowed down. Tesla squinted his eyes; now he was able to distinguish the brief difference in this part of palace's architecture. They must've been approaching a vast room; a hall of some sort perhaps. After a few paces the woman spoke for the first time since they've entered the building.

"This way, please." she gestured towards the opening and politely bowed her head "Lord Aizen is waiting for you"

Nnoitra passed by Neliel without a single glance. The Gillian tried to utter an apology for his master's behavior, yet he found no suitable words to say. The Arrancar smiled and shook her head; Tesla nodded and followed the Adjuchas on his war path.

* * *

All Hollows had heard about _them_, for sure. Only a few individuals who had actually encountered _them_ lived to tell the tale. _They_ were hunting the restless souls everywhere. save for the midnight realm of Hueco Mundo.

Yet there was of _them_ standing right before Tesla's own eyes.

The Gillian heard a loud hiss; he turned to the right to see Nnoitra clenching his four fists and muttering something through his jaw-adorned mask. The Adjuchas' single eye widened to a disproportional size – from the usual thin slit to a shape almost perfectly round. The boar found the sight very disturbing. He was able to distinguish only one word in Nnoitra's quiet rambling:

"_Shinigami"_

And this one was indeed a Shinigami; though clad in robes fashioned similarly to those worn by the Arrancar of Las Noches. Beneath the white mantle the man still wore a typical robe of a Soul Reaper. Tesla noticed a strange white armband on the Shinigami's left sleeve. He had no idea what had it meant, but it looked like a sign of one's considerably important status in the Soul Society's hierarchical standings.

And it _obviously_ wasn't a good sign.

The Shinigami didn't look at them when they've entered. He was busy listening to a report delivered by a thin, rather harmlessly looking Arrancar. He was speaking about something in calm, deep voice; his head obediently lowered. The Shinigami was listening carefully; when the Arrancar finished reporting he only gave him a small nod and dismissed him with a wave of his hand. Finally, the Shinigami noticed – or rather decided to acknowledge – the presence of the two Menos. A broad smile appeared on his face as he turned to face the two guests – and, though Tesla's knowledge of the physiology of humanoids wasn't particularly vast, the Gillian noticed how... averagely the Soul Reaper was looking. Brown-haired and brown-eyed, the man looked as if he was the least suitable person to dwell there, in Hueco Mundo, that had been ever born.

There was something _very_ unnerving about the aura the Shinigami had sported, not only because it didn't quite match the rest of his appearance.

"Welcome to Las Noches, Nnoitra Jiruga" he nodded towards the Adjuchas. Nnoitra stood still, cautious and visibly skeptical. "And you, Gillian" Tesla quickly bowed, trembling with fear. He wasn't particularly timid, yet the mere presence of this man was horrifying. Without noticing Menos' courteous gesture, the Shinigami continued:

"My name is Sōsuke Aizen and I have been searching for powerful Menos-class Hollows to enable them to transform to Arrancar" he paused and shot two quick glances at the two newcomers "However, I might ask a small... favor for my service."

"_The hell_ it has to do with me?" Nnoitra's harsh voice sounded even ruder than usually. Aizen did not pay attention to the Adjuchas' reluctance; he simply fixed his calm gaze on his mask and replied:

"I can give you power. The power to crush your enemies with one swing of your arm. The might to tear your opponents to pieces." he fell silent for a brief moment and then continued in a melodic, enchantingly beautiful voice "The possibility to execute your revenges. Do you and your companion wish to join me under the prospect of unending power and only a small inconvenience to get rid of?"

This time it was Tesla that spoke – though he had seen that the very mention of _revenge_ made Nnoitra make up his mind and was going to accept it no matter how high the costs would be – mustering all of his courage:

"I don't mean to interrupt you, sir, but what kind of _small inconvenience_ we will have to eradicate?" the boar tried to avoid Aizen's glances. The Shinigami's gaze was cautious, yet not disapproving.

"Your name, Gillian?" he asked after a few seconds of silence

"Tesla, sir"

The Soul Reaper calmly replied "_Eradication_ is a good word, Tesla. This small inconvenience we will have to... _eradicate_ is nothing more than the Soul Society itself. So, let me rephrase my question: do you want to have your revenge under my command, Menos?"

Nnoitra nodded for both of them.

* * *

Aizen selected two of the younger Arrancar to guide each of them through the process of evolution separately. Tesla noticed that the Shinigami referred to them as "brothers"; he wasn't able to estimate whether it was a strange phenomenon or a mere stylistic figure. They looked almost nothing alike; they had something in common, though – both of them were slightly... _effeminate._

The two of them walked down the long hall without a word. The Arrancar moved with grace and elegance, from time to time gently brushing the loose ends of his pink hair with his fingers. The boar caught only a briefest glimpse of his... _brother, _but from what he had observed, the other Arrancar had lighter hair and was much taller.

"You are a Gillian, aren't you?" the Arrancar asked without looking at his companion. Tesla muttered an indistinct "Yes". After a minute's silence the Menos added "My name is-" but the man interrupted him:

"I hold absolutely no interest in your name, Gillian. If you speak to me about that after you've become an Arrancar, I might change my mind" Tesla cursed the rude Arrancar under his breath, deciding to follow him nevertheless. After all, Nnoitra had usually treated him even worse.

"During the process you will be infused with spiritual essence that shall elevate you to the level of a Vasto Lorde" the Arrancar's voice was calm and devoid of any emotions "This will be only a temporary improvement, though; it's sole purpose is to help you to seal your Hollow powers in a form of a weapon" with a quick motion of hands he unsheathed a long sword he was carrying "The form such weapon takes is usually chosen subconsciously, though you might want to try to shape yours as you wish. Do whatever you want."

The boar swallowed a bile in his throat. The arcana of the whole process weren't as complicated as he might've imagined. Still, there was a small voice in his mind that repeatedly told him that it was just a beginning.

"The energy will be transferred to your body by the special apparatus. There is only one thing you'll have to do manually..." the Arrancar paused. Tesla gritted his teeth. The goddamn freak didn't have to continue; he already knew, what this... _little thing_ was.

"... and that shall be ripping off your mask."

Every Menos had tried to rip its mask off at least once, and each of them remembered the pain the sole test had caused. The pain wasn't the worst thing about it, though, for ripping the Hollow's mask off usually awoke all the spirits the Hollow's ever devoured. They started to wail and screech, cursing the very act of tearing one's identity apart and their protests were so loud and urgent that only the strongest of the Menos could complete the transformation on their own.

The Arrancar stopped pacing and turned around to look at the Gillian for the first time; he studied Tesla's reaction carefully. The boar decided not to display any signs of concern.

"Anyway, the essence infusion will numb the worst pain. You'll still have to deal with the... _lesser spirits_ on your own, though" they resumed walking "We'll arrive in the transformation room shortly. Prepare yourself... _for the change_"

* * *

The room was completely dark and – from what Tesla was able to see – completely empty. Puzzled, he looked at the pink-haired Arrancar; the man only smiled and invited the Gillian to enter the chamber.

"Stand in the middle of the room – it's marked – and try to purge yourself of any thoughts. The process will commence immediately."

The boar moved forward, slowly and with visible uneasiness. He noticed a vague dark point painted on the floor and stumbled towards it, desperately repeating to himself _"Do not think, Tesla, do not think..."_

"_Wait."_

"_... fuck."_

He stood at the designed point, trembling and sweating. The thoughts stubbornly refused to leave his head and floated around the conscious part of his mind. He suddenly became _painfully_ aware of what he was, a mere Gillian, unable to rip off his mask on his own, forced to resort to third parties.

And then suddenly everything went blank.

As soon as he shook off the sudden urge to curl up somewhere and sleep Tesla realized that something warm and soft was crawling up his limbs; he looked down and saw countless streams of light gushing from the floor. Their every stroke brought solace and hope, their every withdrawal broke one's heart in many ways.

It must've been pure spiritual essence, for nothing else could ever caress Hollow's reiatsu-hardened skin so sensually.

Tesla wanted to drown himself in this energy; the power manifested, the eternity itself. The trickles of energy avoided touching his mask, though; they restlessly tried to slide underneath the white surface of the bone. The Gillian levered up the mask with his massive arms; the essence slid under the opening, soothing the sharp pain. Tesla heard somebody shout; the sudden noise echoed very close – too close – to him, destroying the blessed atmosphere of the moment.

An inch higher. A sharp cry, a litany of indistinguishable curses.

… _whyareyoudoingthistouswhathavewedoneWHATHAVEWEDONE..._

Two inches more. A wall of wails, a distinct crack of a bone.

… _wehaveaccompaniedyouWEWERESOCLOSETOYOUandnowyouaredoingthisstopnow..._

The streams of energy suddenly retreated, leaving Tesla in the middle of screaming voices. Alone.

… _stopnowstopnowstopnowNOWNOWNOW!_

And when he was about to give up, to let the mask go and make those ear-piercing noises vanish, after the last convulsive throw of his arms the mask broke and darkness engulfed everything.

* * *

_Two yellow points in the distance..._

Tesla blinked and found himself staring in the golden eyes of the pink-haired Arrancar. The man was kneeling beside his form – a humanoid form indeed – and gently stroking his cheek. When he noticed that the newly-born Arrancar had awaken, he smiled warmly.

"I've just noticed I had not introduced myself properly" he said calmly "My name is Szayel Aporro Grantz. Now I'd like to hear your name, my dearest wielder of the sword that is lying somewhere around there."


	6. Chapter 5

_A/N: Oh, well. This one was initially intended to be longer, but I decided to split it into two chapters.  
_

_Anyone interested in reading a cracky Oblivion oneshot?_

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* * *

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**CHAPTER 5: The perpetual stairs**

Szayel_ insisted_ on showing Tesla the most important parts of Las Noches and giving him a lengthy lecture on the place's history and current status. The pink-haired man made his suggestion in such voice that Tesla didn't _insist_ otherwise; still, the only thing the newly-created Arrancar really wanted were...

… well, clothes.

"The standard uniforms are too plain for my taste" remarked Szayel upon hearing that "Besides, they will not complement your lovely figure" he added with a small smirk, ogling Tesla's figure from behind his spectacles-shaped mask. If the Hollows were able to blush, Tesla would've blushed; yet they weren't and he was grateful for this small convenience.

"The hierarchy of Las Noches is a rather simple issue" the older Arrancar began as they were walking down the long corridor – or at least one of them walked. Getting used to a small, humanoid form was _not_ a simple issue, thought Tesla as he stumbled forward, leaning heavily on the nearby wall.

"Every Arrancar is assigned a number from eleven to ninety-nine, proportionally to the order in which he was born. You are currently bearing number forty-three, and it most likely won't change" Szayel continued without turning back to look at Tesla "Of course, the system has its faults. Take this failure of a brother, for example. His number is fifteen; yet he is much younger than many of our higher-classed kinsmen" the Arrancar sighed with exasperation.

"How come the Hollows have siblings?" the complicated affairs of the Grantz family were one of the few things that occupied Tesla's mind at that time, the other two being "Where the hell can I get some clothes?" and "I wonder how Nnoitra's doing?"

The young Arrancar gritted his teeth. A part of him wished that Nnoitra hadn't succeeded and thus was forced to stay in the stage of Adjuchas; another one was genuinely _curious_ about the appearance of Nnoitra's Arrancar form.

The other part (though very, _very_ small and quiet) just really missed Nnoitra's attitude.

Szayel turned around to look at Tesla. He stared at the younger man for a – rather long – moment before replying

"How come the newly-born, weakened and still _naked_ Arrancars dare to address their superiors with such impertinence?" he asked without taking his gaze off Tesla. The younger one understood the ulterior allusion perfectly.

* * *

In the dressing room (as Szayel pompously named it; Tesla would've rather said "a really messy storage room") they met nobody else but Nnoitra (who was, _thankfully_, fully clothed) and Szayel's brother.

Nnoitra didn't really change; he retained his tall, lanky figure and a single violet eye. His Hollow hole was in the very same place it was before, partially covered with messy, black hair. He had lost the additional pair of arms and – _thankfully _again – this horrid jawed mask in the process, Tesla observed.

Then he smiled.

There was something _definitely_ wrong about this smile. Nnoitra's mouth contained way too many way too long teeth. Besides, the combination of a wide grin and an enormous hole in taller Arrancar's skull didn't make the best impression on potential viewers.

"Oh, it's ya, Gillian" he sneered and briefly glanced all over Tesla's body "Basically, ya look like a girl with a dick" Nnoitra stated his opinion loudly – and frankly. The smaller Arrancar, dumbfounded, stared at his former superior with disbelief. Szayel's brother let out a muffled chuckle, the pink-haired man tactfully remained silent.

"You were not introduced to my brother, I presume" Szayel finally broke the uneasy silence "Tesla, that's my dearest brother Il Forte" he nodded towards the other Arrancar "Il Forte, meet Tesla"

Il Forte was taller than his brother; he had blond hair and lightly tanned skin. He stretched his hand towards Tesla; the smaller Arrancar shook it with uncertainty.

"Nice to meet you" the man spoke slowly, putting an emphasis on each word. Tesla found it much too pompous for his taste. He shook the outstretched hand with dry courtesy

"Nice to meet you too"

Nnoitra had made his acquaintance with Szayel rather fast and almost immediately his interest turned back to Tesla. He eyed the smaller Arrancar attentively.

"Don't even have that fancy weapon, do ya, _Gillian_?" he asked, stressing the last word. Tesla looked at the former Adjuchas questioningly; he had no idea, what the hell was he talking about.

And only then he saw it, the humongous, crescent – shaped halberd, which stood behind Nnoitra. The very sight of it made Tesla shudder; it was almost completely black (_"As the sky above Hueco Mundo itself"_ he observed and almost immediately thought about the pact he had once made with an Adjuchas under that thick veil of darkness; both the worst and best decision of his _after_life), adorned only by the thin stripe of a silvery-gleaming blade. In comparison with his halberd, Nnoitra looked fragile and powerless.

He still was a fearsome creature, though.

"She's such a beauty, isn't she?" Nnoitra remarked "And she's also an useful tool in the hand of her master. She will bend to my every will like an obedient bitch she is" he reached out and stroke the handle gently with his fingertips. Damn, this man could've seem _caring_ when he wanted "Too bad ya don't have your own" he added with a smirk.

Szayel placed his hand on Tesla's shoulder "I believe this is yours" he said and reached under his cloak "I apologize for not retrieving it earlier, as it had caused a small... _inconvenience_" he glanced at Nnoitra with a smirk.

He pulled off a rapier, and at the moment Tesla touched its hilt he stopped thinking of it as of "a rapier"; it was – _she was_ – a living part of himself, warm and pulsating under his fingers, clearly longing for his touch.

"You shall learn his name in a short time" Szayel remarked. The younger Arrancar shook his head in disbelief; it was beyond his understanding that someone could've mistaken _her_ for a male. _She_ was calm and gentle, undoubtedly feminine in every given aspect.

"Now, now" the pink-haired man began, finally breaking the contact with Tesla "We shall search for an outfit that will match your wonderful body," he paused "... shall we?" he added, mimicking Nnoitra's slightly drawling accent.

The former Adjuchas didn't say a thing, he only raised his only eyebrow and smirked sarcastically.


End file.
